Weather and Climate: Impact on Aviation Industry - Essay Sample

Introduction

In definition, weather is an atmospheric condition that occurs in a short period. Atmospheric components that constitute weather include temperature, direction, and speed of wind, humidity, and precipitation. Climate refers to the long-term weather conditions (minimum of 30 years). For instance, cold desert climate, maritime climate, and tropical climate, among others. The aviation industry is commonly affected by weather and climate change. Change in climate is associated with alteration of patterns of rains and melting of snow (precipitation), temperature, sea level, patterns of the air mass, and storm (Labatt & White, 2011). These impacts may also interfere with water levels in rivers and oceans and consequently supply of electricity. It also hurts biodiversity, whereby wildlife is affected, and so is the tourism industry. The tourism and aviation industry mutually benefit from each other. These problem results to reduce aircraft performance and thus, reduced demand on travels. Weather and climate change may also lead to aircraft accidents leading to destruction, loss of properties, and lives. This paper focuses on the negative impacts of climate change on airport and aviation industries and their solutions.

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Climate change is any significant transformation shift in the measure of climate lasting for an extended period of 30 years on a Planet (Coffel & Horton, 2015). The main impact of climate change on airstrips and airlines results from precipitation, temperature, and wind patterns. It occurs due to the rising carbon (IV) oxide and other related gases generated by aerosols particles in a gas. Weather change is a short-term state atmospheric condition at any time, involving things such as air, temperature, precipitation, and cloud cover. The adverse climate and weather changes are a clear and present danger to airstrips and airlines means. Sometimes, it may not be possible for airplanes to take flight on their scheduled time.

Currently, changes experienced in climate interfere aspects of flighting such as aircraft balance, position in the atmosphere, its strength, and the streamlined shape of the aircraft. All aspects of planning and managing flights. This provides a tailwind and headwind for aircraft. The experienced climatic changes are said to have influenced the making of the jet in terms of the body model. Notably, the change also increases the westbound flight trips and reduce eastbound trips by a higher amount. It means any increment in-flight trips, emissions, fuel consumption cost, challenges of planning schedules, and aircraft holding patterns. The direction change of prevailing wind vertical wind shear is also expected because of the drastic changes in climate.

Usually, aircraft and other machinery in the airport designed to work in a range of temperature and modification of the machinery have taken place following experiences with climate change (Fahey & Lee, 2016). Climate and weather change the snowfall patterns and rain resulting in change between the actual times of arrivals and departures and cancellation. Some parts of a specific continent expected to experience different weather patterns resulting from a shift in the range of temperature. With this sudden shift in weather patterns, it is evident that the take-off performance of commercial aircraft and airlines will be affected. Therefore, flights are forced to be delayed or canceled at airstrips and airlines.

Change in temperature affects infrastructure, demand patterns, and aircraft performance. Climate change increases the warming of the atmosphere faster than the normal global average, leading to an excellent range of extreme temperatures. The average temperature increase has an impact on airstrips and airline performance, like lowering lift. It has impacted negatively on runway lengths requirements and affects the aircraft payload and range. Also, the change in temperature interferes with infrastructures, such as cooling and heating facilities. For instance, excess heat in the atmosphere affect taxiways and aircraft runways (Coffel & Horton, 2015). The experienced change in temperature affects flight demand patterns because people book flights and, therefore, interfering with activities scheduled for a given specific time both seasonally and geographically.

Sea levels have risen because of changes in climate in part of continents. The changes are believed to increase largely based on the global prediction and patterns learned over a long period. Rising of sea levels has resulted in severe storm events, leading to loss of airstrips and airlines causing damages to permanent or temporary buildings, loss of runways and airline capacity, and network disruption. Transport links to the airfields and airlines are also affected as a result of sea level rising.

Compacting Effects of Weather and Climate Change on Aviation Industry

First, the aviation industry needs to train staff members and other employees on the use of data produced by meteorologists. This information will help them to react accordingly during disruptions (Labatt & White, 2011). Also, metrological data should be shared among organizations in the aviation industry. The sharing of data is facilitated by the use of the modern technology of weather detection. Once bad weather has been detected in one region, the news should be communicated to all stakeholders of air transportation to alert them of the impending danger.

Second, to cope with the demand changes, the aviation industry and airlines need to adapt schedules (Fahey & Lee, 2016). The plans should be a daily or seasonal basis. For example, large airplanes should set off at colder times. Upon designing the airports, cooling and heating equipment and facilities need to be placed on the airport terminals and others, like brigade vehicles roam in within and at the peripheral. For instance, on the runway, the area should be well fitted with surface materials.

In addition, more research is needed to determine areas that are mostly affected by climate change. This will help the industry take action early in advance and minimize the accidents caused by weather changes such as storms and shifts in wind patterns. Areas that are likely to be affected by changes in wind patterns, the industry should consider putting equipment for detecting airline clear air turbulence.

Fourth, the industry should accept that the world’s climate is changing. Therefore, they should adopt new strategies on how to deal with weather patterns and climate change. If actions are not taken, the entire aviation industry will be affected strongly by the challenges associated with climate change.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the industry should have strategies to deal with weather and climate change, although studies show that the industry has less approach to the effects. There is a notion that weather conditions are natural and cannot be prevented. But because there is equipment to measure whether changes and climate changes, these impacts can be minimized by taking the right measures. The solution to these problems will require the collaboration of the aviation industry and the airline participants, such as the pilots, airport service providers, and the engineers who manufacture aircraft and regulators.

References

Coffel, E., & Horton, R. (2015). Climate change and the impact of extreme temperatures on aviation. Weather, Climate, and Society, 7(1), 94-102.

Fahey, D.W., & Lee, D.S. (2016). Aviation and climate change: a scientific perspective. CCLR, 97.

Labatt, S., & White, R. R. (2011). Carbon finance: the financial implications of climate change (Vol. 362). John Wiley & Sons.